Series of participatory workshops for the city of Remich, May & June 2018

 

The city of Remich is the heart of Luxembourg’s wine culture on the border triangle between Luxembourg, France and Germany, situated in a picturesque panorama of vineyards and green spaces along the Moselle River. It is also famous for its 3 km long promenade of birch and cherry trees, bike and boat tours, and various water sports activities. 

  

How to increase the attractiveness of the city centre?

The centre of Remich has a pedestrian zone, small squares, fountains, and alleys. Nevertheless, the city authorities have realized that people (citizens, visitors) spend less and less time there. As a result, there is a negative impact on the general city dynamic and development: various shops are closing and new entrepreneurs are not interested to come to the area. The remaining commerce has fewer customers and a weak purchasing power. This continuous negative spiral has a significant impact on the attractiveness of the city centre. The city of Remich decided to respond to this problem and to find solutions for all relevant stakeholders: entrepreneurs (business), visitors (tourism) and citizens.

A holistic approach to citizen participation

yellow ball with Gregor Waltersdorfer have analysed the situation as well as the expectations, vision and revitalization measures that are already being implemented by the city authorities (Tourist, Economic, Civil). Followed by a stakeholder mapping and further analysis, a strategy was developed to improve the quality of life in the city centre and its attractiveness for different interest groups through a participative process. The inhabitants, the visitors and the entrepreneurs were invited to participate together with the city authorities in co-design processes.

Throughout this process, new ideas, visions and solutions were successfully identified in a cooperative and open way. This strategy significantly improved the understanding and cooperation between different groups. The young generation has been recognized as an important group to revitalize the city. Needs such as a consistent “Hotel/Restaurant/Café” concept, a shared space and a coherent business presence were brought forward. Other important challenges include flood prevention, tourism development and needs of the young families. All the challenges were challenged during the follow-up workshops and ended with a co-design process of concrete solutions.

 

Outcome

19 concrete project proposals

 

Links

Remich, the pearl of the Moselle